Island Influencers

In episode three of Island Influencers, I talk to Rebecca George, Chief Executive Officer of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce.

Rebecca has been a beacon of light for many island business owners during this recent Coronavirus Pandemic by providing outstanding leadership and communication throughout.

Becks is a born and bred Londoner. After a year of travelling the world with her husband, they decided that going back to London life wasn't for them.

Lucky for us, by then she'd visited the Island on a few occasions and had already fallen in love with the place. You know its beauty and pace of life, so it didn't take much persuading for her to come and live here.

So they came to the Isle of Man for six months, assuming that it wouldn't suit them and they'd rush back to the city life in a heartbeat. But they are still here 15 years later.

Her husband runs a successful international shipping company in the Isle of Man, another of our niches, and by her own admission, Becks has had amazing roles and opportunities which have led her to where she is now.

She doesn't know if she'd had such a good quality of life if they'd stayed in London, but they do know that they don't spend hours of their day sitting in trains or in traffic.

They've got a house by the beach, their careers have flourished, and the children can safely walk to school. How many people living in the UK can say that?

So let's listen to what Rebecca has to tell us as an Island Influencer, in episode four.

I'm delighted to introduce as my guest on episode two of Island Influencers, Beach Buddies Isle of Man hero, Bill Dale.

Is there anything this guy can't do?

If there's anyone who epitomizes where success comes from, it's Bill, who started Beach Buddies alone for years before the real scaling effect got traction.

From one individual, and of course his dogs, in 2007, to now having over 20% of the population of the Isle of Man involved so far.

Beach Buddies objective is to provide a longterm, effective, efficient, and sustainable operation using teams of volunteers to keep beaches and foreshores of the Isle of Man free from litter.

Beach Buddies survives entirely on donations and is sponsored by numerous companies, societies, organizations, and individuals.

Bill's vision has had such an impact that, in 2016, the Isle of Man was given the prestigious honour of UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; we're the only nation in the entire world to achieve this distinction.

Beach Buddies was highlighted during the award ceremony as its excellent example of beach cleaning methodology in 2019, and he was subsequently invited to become a member of the Isle of Man government's biosphere committee, which promotes worldwide the Isle of Man special award.

It runs approximately 200 beach cleaning events each year and collects around 200 tons of rubbish from beaches - or did do before having to scale down operations to follow Government Social Distancing Rules!

Bill was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the Manx Marine environment in 2017.

Here's my conversation with Bill Dale with episode two of Island Influencers, recorded before the recent Coronavirus Pandemic had us all self-isolating.

Tune in for Bill's uplifting story as an Island Influencer.

I'm delighted to launch our new audio podcast series, Island Influencers, with a conversation with my first guest, Bob Jeavons.

Bob is a well-known businessman on the Isle of Man.

Until recently, the owner and chairman of Tynwald Mills, Bob joins me for this episode to discuss his vast experience and the great work he is doing as a leading light of the Island's business community.

Bob is founding director and current chairman of Manx BirdLife, with extensive experience serving in the commercial, public and not for profit sectors.

He's trustee of several Isle of Man charities, including St John's Mill, where our office is located, and where Bob brings his expertise in fundraising, recruiting and volunteer relations.

Bob is keen to point out that, because St John's Mill is a conference centre, the coronavirus crisis has resulted in a loss of bookings. They are hoping to offer catering and food collection for anyone who would care to order, with more details to follow as they formulate a plan.

Here's my conversation with Bob Jeavons in episode one of Island Influencers.

Welcome to Island Influencers, our brand new audio podcast from Thornton Chartered Financial Planners. This podcast is all about telling the stories of successful business owners, experienced professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders based or with influence in the Isle of Man.

Our aim with this show is to highlight these people and their businesses and what good they're doing in our community. By sharing their stories, we're hopefully bringing you an awareness of what they're doing and why they're doing it.